Female Prime Minister: Legend of Lu Zhen Episode 40-41 Recap

The stakes get raised as more and more people find Lu Zhen and Gao Zhan’s romance to be too serious. Lu Zhen’s status comes in between their togetherness as the two fight the outside forces trying to pull them apart.

Ep. 40 Recap

Gao Zhan is by Lu Zhen’s side day and night, the rest of the court is worried for his health since he has barely recovered, his crazed anger is brought to the surface more and more as he tirelessly stays by Lu Zhen’s side. Dan Niang convinces Gao Zhan to eat something and it turns out that the Emperor has put a sleeping medicine in it.

When Gao Zhan wakes up the Emperor tells him to rest, Gao Zhan is not allowed to see Lu Zhen until he has recovered himself. The Emperor has sealed Gao Zhan’s Xue Mai, roughly translated as Shakra, or pressure point and it’s made Gao Zhan weak as a kitten. He is ordered to not leave his own palace and his sister the Eldest Princess is to guard him.

Lu Zhen on the other hand is near death and the doctor tells the emperor that they should get ready Lu Zhen’s funeral arrangements.

Shen Bi comes to visit Gao Zhan and is let in, he asks her how Lu Zhen is and she thinks to herself that all Gao Zhan ever thinks about is Lu Zhen. He loses his temper and yells “How is she?” Shen Bi tells him that Lu Zhen is about to die.

Gao Zhan is shocked and demands to be released, he tells the Eldest Princess, “If you don’t let me see Lu Zhen then one day, eventually, I will follow her to the underworld.” She’s scared by his resolve and lets him go see her.

Gao Zhan sees Lu Zhen lying lifeless and holds her close to his chest yelling that everyone needs to get the hell out. At that time Du Si Yi comes in and tells him that she can still save Lu Zhen. She uses ice and heat to shock Lu Zhen’s body back to consciousness and then acupuncture to open the blood flow. Lu Zhen is revived and comes back to life. Gao Zhan grabs Lu Zhen and carries her back to his palace, telling her that everyone in the palace knows that she is his.

When Lu Zhen stays at Gao Zhan’s palace she began to realize that her hand has no more strength, even lifting a spoon was hard for her to do. Gao Zhan smiles and says that she’s been ill for so long that its natural for her hand to be weak. When Gao Zhan secretly meets with a doctor, he tells him that Lu Zhen’s hand might never heal. Gao Zhan decides to keep this secret from Lu Zhen for as long as possible.

The Eldest Princess on the other hand has tried going to the Emperor to break up Lu Zhen and Gao Zhan. While Concubine Xiao approves of the plan, if only for the sake of Gao Zhan’s future, the Emperor will not hear of it.

The Eldest Princess goes to the Dowager, who apologizes for her family trying to kill Gao Zhan without her knowledge (lies) and then goes on to tell the Eldest Princess of all the negative things about Lu Zhen, how Gao Zhan forged her ID, how she was wanted for murder.

The Princess is Livid to say the least and goes to confront Lu Zhen. Lu Zhen confirms that the accusations the Princess has heard is all true, but when she tries to explain, the Princess starts yell at Lu Zhen. The princess brings up the fact that Lu Zhen might be crippled, and Lu Zhen’s eyes widen. Gao Zhan steps in at the moment and drags his sister away.

Lu Zhen asks Gao Zhan if it was true, he says that she can definitely recover the use of the hand. Lu Zhen tries to use her hand but find it to be very weak, she can no longer carve porcelain. A letter arrives for her from Shen Jia Yan, asking to meet outside the palace, he might know the true culprit behind her attack.

Lu Zhen doesn’t want Gao Zhan to know that she’s going to go investigate so she asks that she leave to go to her favorite restaurant in the city. He reluctantly lets her go, but with a retinue of guards.

Ep 41 Recap

Shen Jia Yan receives a letter from “Lu Zhen” saying that she knows who the culprit in her attack is, and asks to meet outside the city. Shen Jia Yan doesn’t know that this is a ruse made by Shen Jia Min to lure her brother away so she can talk to Lu Zhen alone.

The Eldest Princess has her heart basically set on Gao Zhan marrying Shen Jia Min and she enlists the help of Royal Concubine Xiao. They steal the Kingdom Seal and make a fake royal decree. Lu Zhen is kidnapped by Shen Jia Min, who tells her that no harm will come to Lu Zhen. She cruelly taunts Lu Zhen about being too low for Gao Zhan, and now that she’s crippled, Lu Zhen is nothing, she can’t sew, she can’t make pottery, she can’t even write. Lu Zhen says Shen Jia Min is lying but Shen Jia Min screams for Lu Zhen to wake up. Shen Jia Min smiles and just says, “I will watch you become nothing”. Shen jia Min keeps Lu Zhen in the room unitl the royal decree can be issued, that way she can’t go back and prevent it in some way.

The Eldest Princess goes into the palace and announce the Fake Decree, telling the world that Gao Zhan and Shen Jia Min are to be married. Gao Zhan tells his Sister that this is the stupidest thing he has ever heard. He will only marry Lu Zhen. The Eldest Princess tells him that if he and Lu Zhen try to elope, she will kill every person in his palace and all the maids under Lu Zhen’s care.

Lu Zhen is let out and she hears the news from the city people. Lu Zhen realizes that she has nothing now, her hand is ruined and her love is gone. She faints from shock and Shen Jia Yan is there to catch her before she falls.

Meanwhile Royal Concubine Xiao has led the Emperor away from the palace so that Eldest Princess could carry out her plan. She tells the Emperor the truth and tells him that it’s too late to go back, the Decree has been ordered. The Emperor sighs and forgives her, Royal Concubine reveals that she has stop taking the birth control medicine, she wants to have children with the Emperor. The Emperor smiles happily.

Lu Zhen wakes up and Shen Jia Yan tells her that he is sorry about Shen Jia Min’s behavior, he will also go to the palace tomorrow and clear up the engagement mess with the Emperor. Lu Zhen tells him to let it go, he can’t prevent a royal decree. She doesn’t want to see Gao Zhan right now, she’s cause him so much pain, and she’s tired. She tells Shen Jia Yan that she needs to rest, and he leaves. She cries to her self as she hears all the celebrations and talk of the marriage in Shen Jia Yan’s house regarding Shen Jia Min. She grabs a piece of glass in her injured hand.

Shen Jia Min and Shen Jia Yan’s father arrives from the border and Shen Jia Yan tells their father the whole story. Papa Shen tells Jia Min to be nice to Lu Zhen and let her live with her and Gao Zhan as a Side Concubine when she gets married to Gao Zhan. Shen Jia Yan berates Shen Jia Min for kidnapping Lu Zhen, she said that she didn’t do anything to Lu Zhen, just tell her the truth about her hand. What will Lu Zhen do? Commit suicide? She snarks.

Shen Jia Yan realizes Lu Zhen is just depressed enough to do that. He runs to her room and find that she has cut her wrist.

Gao Zhan is waiting for Lu Zhen and it’s already night, with the Emperor. He coldly asks “Her wounds haven’t healed, are you trying to push her to death?” Gao Zhan screams at the Emperor for reneging on his words about giving the edict to marry Lu Zhen and him.

Gao Zhan grabs a sword, and at that moment the Eldest Princess and the Royal Concubine walks in. They are all scared that Gao Zhan will do something crazy or harmful to himself.

Gao Zhan says “ you’ve all pushed me to the limit, how will you resolve this issue?”. Gao Zhan raises his sword to his neck, and the Royal Concubine, Emperor and Eldest Princess are scared witless that he will kill himself. Gao Zhan waves the sword above his head and cuts off his top knot and crown.

Thoughts: For a girl who said Suicide is not the Answer, I have to tell Lu Zhen, Suicide is not the Answer. I don’t like her reason for it, because when things were at the lowest last time she fought and fought hard to survive. When did she let others get under her skin? Lu Zhen’s character has always been resilient, smart, and resourceful so I want to see more of that from her. She and Gao Zhan have this communications issue, if they talk more, then they would be great together. As for Gao Zhan, his reaction, anger, frustration, desperation was done well. I’m ambivalent to his solution and his use of brute force rather than brains.

Also, can we applaud Gao Zhan’s eyebrows? Those babies have been working over time.

Who else thought Gao Zhan would sport a bald place on his head till the end of the series?

On the suicide note, this is so totally not Lu Zhen it made me roll my eyes. We are to believe that Lu Zhe, who was not suicidal every time there was this huge mountain blocking her path of happily ever after with Gao Zhan (and his eyebrows) now, hearing that she might be crippled she is just (very unprofesionally, I must add) cutting her (one) wrist?!

Plotwise I think we are enering the “let’s live like commoners” part before we actually get into the phase I really do want to erease from my memory. it is like a gasp of air before we plunge into the abyss of despair, so lets enjoy the little moments of pure bliss.